STARFIRE

December 2006

December 2006 - Scorpio Scorpio Scorpio!
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SCORPIO, SCORPIO, SCORPIO!

Or should I say, “I want! I want! I want!” The keyword for Scorpio is “I want”, and the best news about this intense and prolonged emphasis on Scorpio is that , by coercion or choice, we’re all taking a long look at what we really want.

Merchants were apparently disappointed by the number of people who looked without buying on Black Friday. Quick purchases and superficial shopping are less satisfying this year. I started holiday shopping early this year, and I’m still weighing my choices for some of the people on my list. I want deep pleasure this year, not just awe and gone.

Five planets in Scorpio for the November New Moon–and that lunation sets the pace for December’s shopping days. The Hebrew letter that corresponds to the sign of Scorpio is Mem, and it means Water. Scorpio is associated with stagnant waters–but we do have to remember that the lotus plant, the Eastern plant of enlightenment, only grows in stagnant ponds. So Scorpio’s work is to take us into the depths (and darkness) of our subconscious minds, and to bring that unconscious material to consciousness as part of our spiritual and personal growth.

Okay, some people do just get stuck in the Scorpio waters–depression, addiction, pandering to our darkness–but the purpose of Scorpio is transformation. Sometimes intense Scorpio transits, such as our New Moon with a stellium of five planets in Scorpio, bring us face to face with the issues of what is stagnant in our lives and what needs transformation.

Congress, news broadcasters, even the White House have been forced to acknowledge that our policy in Iraq is not working. (I’m trying to be diplomatic here and still compress all sides into one or two simple statements.) The problems didn’t begin with the Scorpio emphasis. But all sides of our government (along with other international leaders) came face-to-face with what wasn’t working (those stagnant and polluted waters) and now the debates and discussions that could transform our Iraq policy (or lack of policy) have begun.

December’s New Moon will have six planets in Sagittarius, including both Jupiter and Pluto. If Scorpio issues hit us like a wet fish from smelly waters, Sagittarius promises international cooperation and understanding. Pluto’s movement into Sagittarius several years ago was cause for hope for international cooperation and solutions, but first Pluto (ruler of Scorpio) brought us face-to-face with the real problems.

Jupiter in Sagittarius is merciful, philosophical–and willing to discuss and explore diverse philosophies. There will be no peace from Sagittarius without meaningful learning on a global level.
In our personal lives, Scorpio shows us what we want. Sagittarius shows us how to communicate and negotiate with strangers, with people whose desires are unlike ours or even oppose ours. Like the national powers, we will also have opportunities to achieve our dreams with Jupiter and Pluto (and four other planets) in Sagittarius. Like the national powers, our achievement will come as a result of understanding and negotiating with other people.
It takes change, and change is hard.

Only a few months ago, the Pope offended Muslims. As Jupiter moved into Sagittarius, the Pope was in Turkey. For the second time in recorded history, a Pope entered a Mosque. That’s change. That’s understanding. It’s not conversion or coercion–but it is standing in the other person’s shoes in order to gain a greater understanding and learn to play well together.

Publishing, marketing, advertising and other venues for the spoken word should thrive during Jupiter’s time in Sagittarius. If the Scorpio New Moon brought new depth and feeling to your writing, or if it brought up the book you’ve always wanted to write, the diverse market in 2007 is made for you.

But you’ll have to go deeper and explore new territory. Readers will thirst for knowledge and understanding next year. So will editors. And the public will buy whatever touches their hearts and minds at the same time.

The New Moon in Scorpio is important because it does show us the truth about our personal and public desires. Opening to the depths of our beings gives us clarity and power. So Scorpio becomes the platform, the foundation we build on to share ourselves with others–other parties, other religions, or just people unlike ourselves–as Sagittarius teaches all of us to get along with the rest of the world.

Mary O’Gara, Ph.D.